The Role of Civil Society in Africa's Quest for Democratization.
- 1st ed.
- 1 online resource (221 pages)
- Advances in African Economic, Social and Political Development Series ; v.5 .
- Advances in African Economic, Social and Political Development Series .
Intro -- Dedication -- Acknowledgements -- Contents -- List of Figures -- Abbreviations -- Part I: Introduction and Background -- Chapter 1: Introduction: A Continent in Transition -- 1.1 Hypothesis -- 1.2 Review of Literature and Methodological Framework -- 1.3 Scope of the Study -- 1.4 Empirical and Historical Background -- 1.5 Organization of the Study -- References -- Chapter 2: Conceptualizing Democracy and Democratization -- 2.1 Democracy: Towards a Working Definition -- Democracy as an Ideal: Its Normative Connotation -- An Empirical Definition of Democracy -- 2.2 The Process and Phases of Democratization -- Measuring Democratization and Its Phases -- 2.3 Approaches to Studying Democratization -- Economic Development -- Composition of Society -- External Influences and Diffusion -- The Role of Culture and Political Culture -- A Focus on Agency -- 2.4 Democratization in Africa and "African Democracy" -- Comparative Perspectives on African Democratization -- The Rise and Fall of Africanized "Theories" of "Democracy" -- References -- Chapter 3: Civil Society and Democratization -- 3.1 The Meaning and Genealogy of Civil Society -- 3.2 Civil Society and Democratization -- How Does It Work? -- Relevance of Qualities of Civil Society Organizations -- The Discourse of Doubt and the Magical Effects of Civil Society -- 3.3 Measuring Civil Society and Its Impacts -- Summary of Important Definitions -- Democracy -- Democratic Transition -- Democratic Consolidation -- Democratic Stagnation -- Democratic Regression -- Civil Society -- Vibrant Civil Society -- References -- Part II: Case Studies -- Chapter 4: The Beautiful Ones Are Born: Consolidation of Democracy in South Africa and Ghana -- 4.1 South Africa -- Historical Context: From Colonialism to Apartheid -- Transition and Consolidation -- South African Civil Society: A Democratic Thrust from Below. 4.2 Ghana -- Colonialism, Independence, and Transition to Democracy -- A Checkered Oscillation Between Transition and Regression -- From an Uncertain Transition to a Steady Consolidation -- Ghanaian Civil Society: From Oscillation to Consolidation -- 4.3 Traditional Leadership the Two Consolidating Democracies -- 4.4 Conclusions -- References -- Chapter 5: The Case of Nigeria: A State Stuck in Transition -- 5.1 Colonialism and Sovereign Independence -- 5.2 From Independence to Dictatorship and More Dictatorship -- 5.3 From a Troubled Transition to the Consolidation of Godfatherism -- 5.4 Civil Society: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back -- 5.5 Conclusions -- References -- Chapter 6: Ethiopia: A State Regressing from Democracy -- 6.1 A History of Democratic Debit: 3,000 Years of Authoritarianism -- 6.2 Transition Towards Democracy: An "Extended Release" -- 6.3 From a Difficult Transition to Regression -- 6.4 Trajectory of Ethiopian Civil Society -- 6.5 Conclusions -- References -- Chapter 7: Some Unfinished Business in North Africa -- 7.1 Egypt: Pharos, Revolutions, and Transitions Without Democratization -- Civil Society and Egypt's Transition to Democracy -- Civil Society and the 2013 Coup D'état: Causing and Riding on the Reverse Wave -- 7.2 Tunisia: Where Everyone Fought and Everyone Won -- The Suicide that Set the Region on Fire -- Civil Society in Tunisia: What Went Right? -- 7.3 Conclusions -- References -- Part III: Comparative Analysis -- Chapter 8: Civil Society in Transition, Consolidation, and Regression: A Comparative Analysis -- 8.1 Civil Society and the Transition to Democracy -- The Anti-authoritarian Hypothesis and Transition to Democracy -- Burn Political Society and Civil Society Will Rise from Its Ashes -- 8.2 Civil Society and Consolidation -- The Neo-Tocquevillian Hypothesis and Democratic Consolidation. Between Modesty and Bravado: Generalizability and Concomitant Factors -- Effects of Consolidation on Civil Society -- 8.3 Civil Society: State Relations and the Persuasive-Coercive Continuum -- Strategies Employed by Nondemocratic Regimes -- Strategies Employed by Pro-Democracy Civil Society -- 8.4 "Vibrancy" of Civil Society Organizations in Transition and Consolidation -- References -- Chapter 9: Civil Society in Africa: Some Specific Themes -- 9.1 Civil Society, Old and New -- Traditional Centers of Power After Modernization -- 9.2 Civil Society in the Broader Socio-Political Context -- On Neopatrimonialism and Plurality -- Of Elites and Masses -- 9.3 When Elephants Fight No More: The Rise of NGOs in Africa -- Discerning the Role of NGOs in Democratization -- What Is to Be Done? -- References -- Concluding Remarks.